How to Grow Japanese Honeysuckle? A Complete Guide to Methods and Key Technical Points
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a perennial tree-form plant grown for its medicinal flower buds; it is cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant, and can grow on barren hills, waste slopes, hilly ridges and sandy beaches. After receiving the honeysuckle seedlings, immediately untie the package, dip the roots in muddy water to improve the survival rate, and plant them promptly. Planting method: row spacing 1.3-1.5 m, plant spacing 0.9-1 m, with the seedling roots planted about 10 cm deep...
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a perennial tree-form plant grown for its medicinal flower buds; it is cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant, and can grow on barren hills, waste slopes, hilly ridges and sandy beaches. After receiving the honeysuckle seedlings, immediately untie the package, dip the roots in muddy water to improve the survival rate, and plant them promptly.
Planting method: row spacing 1.3-1.5 m, plant spacing 0.9-1 m, with the seedling roots planted about 10 cm deep, then cover with soil, firm it down and water. On hillside plots, shape the plant mounds into basin form to help collect rain and snow, so they grow vigorously the following year.
During the seedling stage, pay attention to loosening the soil and removing weeds; in the rainy season, pay attention to drainage; at the end of each autumn, clear fallen branches and leaves from the field. Prune in winter after all the leaves have dropped; for winter pruning, follow the principle of "prune vigorous branches lightly, prune weak branches heavily, and prune every branch"; consider that after new branches grow, the plant shape should be complete and well balanced, which helps with ventilation and light penetration. Thin, weak, diseased, twining and crossing branches should all be cut off. For young plants after planting, focus on developing the plant shape; generally keep a few main stems first, arranged reasonably, and the main trunk can be tied to promote thickening and height growth.
Harvesting method: Japanese honeysuckle has a long flowering period, from mid-May to September, and the flower buds are picked in several batches. The picking stage is when the upper part of the bud swells and turns bluish-white; if delayed, the flowers will open, affecting the quality and yield of the product. Processing methods include natural air-drying and oven-drying. For natural air-drying, spread the fresh flowers thinly on a clean site or mat, place them in the sun to dry, and do not let them get rained on.
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